Review Mix: A Chinese Fairy Tale & Mindfulness and Murder

A Chinese Fairy Tale
Score: 6/10

The success of 1987 Hong Kong classic “A Chinese Ghost Story” lies in its mix of genres and the appeal of its stars. As the most well-known version to the original tale, written by 17th century Chinese author Pu Song Ling, the film has everything that makes Chinese fantasy films so much fun, and has it in spades. Even more than two decades later, it still remains one of the finest examples of its genre—a sumptuous, breathtaking masterpiece that brilliantly blends horror, comedy, fantasy and romance. So, it does gonna be a very bold move for any filmmaker to try bringing their new reinterpretation of it. But director Wilson Yip who just had the most successful years in his directing career with “Ip Man” films is bravely enough to go and waking the monsters of Black Mountain. Not only that, Yip also changes a lot of the details of the familiar tale. Instead of a straight-forward forbidden love story between the scholar and lovely female vixen ghost, the 2011 version pairs them as new lover while the ghost hunter, the supposedly supporting character, is the female ghost’s old lover. That strictly complicating the relationship interplay between the characters.

Though it is best to avoid comparison from the start, but that would be a quite tough task for someone who has experienced the monumental classic version. So, albeit plenty of updated CGI work to complement the traditional SFX, this new version is moderately-satisfying. It feels like a Hong Kong's "Twilight" and that’s quite a disappointment since the movie is unable to match up the true beauty of the original. For action junkie, this film will be a fun ride as there are battle fares aplenty amongst men and spirits, with post production providing an astonishing visual feast. But unfortunately, the film is incapable to create the much needed emotion and doesn’t stir an adequate touching moments to relive the nostalgic sense. The romance ended with a mid-note due to the poor execution from director Wilson Yip, and there are also bounty of melodrama and mishead narrative that adds into the already less intriguing plot. The all-star cast provided a good enough performance but a wonder to behold is absolutely the fiery appearance from award winning actress Kara Hui who’s playing the 1000 year-old crabapple tree demon, one that threatens to upstage the leads.

Mindfulness and Murder
Score: 7/10

This new Thai mystery film that selected to show as a special preview for the Closing Film at Thrill Spy, a festival dedicated to the thriller/spy genre, has won a Best Actor Award for lead actor Vithaya Pansringarm and Best Director for Irish-Thai producer/filmmaker Tom Waller. Adapted from one of the "Father Ananda Mystery" novels with the same name by Thailand based expat writer Nick Wilgus, the film will give its viewers a 90-minute visa to visit one of the most secret of societies: the Buddhist monkhood at a canal-side temple in Bangkok. The Thai title itself is "Sop Mai Ngeap" - literally, "the corpse is not quiet". And the corpse in question here is that of a teenage boy, found dumped in a bathroom in the back of the monastery. His eyes have been gouged out and a candle is jammed down his throat. The local police arrive, but do little. The homeless boy does not have much priority for them. So one of the monks called Father Ananda begins investigating the clues for himself, and he soon discovers that there is drug dealing going on at his temple. A monk goes missing. Has he fled the scene after killing the boy? With helps from a bespectacled computer-nerd monk who works in the temple's office, as well as a cheeky temple boy with a bum leg, the former homicide detective uncovers a startling series of clues that eventually exposes the motivation behind the crime and leads him to the murderer.
With the fact that it is based on a novel written by an ex-pat who has lived in Bangkok for more than two decades and his writing and mindset is perfectly tuned to the realities of the Thai society, makes “Mindfulness and Murder” the perfect Thai movie experience for both the local and foreign viewers. Mostly faithful to the spirit of the novel, the film also has so many Thai atmospherics that it could almost serve as a travelogue. The taut script is strengthened by a strong cast which includes Vithaya Pansringarm (The Burma Conspiracy, Largo Winch 2) who plays Father Ananda with understated strength and a Zen-like calm, Prinya “Way” Intachai (My Best Bodyguard), one of the lead rappers in Thaitanium, who’s well cast as a thuggish, tattooed monk, and Charina Sirisinha of the pop group ZaZa, who plays a pivotal part as a crime reporter for the Bangkok Post in her first feature film role.